The Patrick Mahomes era begins this year in Kansas City after the team traded Alex Smith to the Redskins in the offseason. Mahomes was decent in his lone start Week 17 last season, but the bigger question this year is what the Chiefs offense will look like. Coach Andy Reid took the cautious approach with Smith his first four years in Kansas City, averaging a mere 32 passes per season more than 20 yards downfield. Last year, though, Smith was unleashed, attempting 53 such passes in an explosive offense. (Ironically, he had fewer interceptions (5) than he averaged over the "cautious" period (7).) Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is gone, replaced by Eric Bieniemy, but either way, it's still Reid's show. The 6-2, 225-pound Mahomes certainly has the arm for a vertical game. And he has plenty of weapons, starting with Tyreek Hill, who might be the league's fastest man. On the other side is new arrival Sammy Watkins, who can also stretch the field and has a bit more bulk than Hill. Then there's Travis Kelce, one of the best tight ends in football, and Kareem Hunt, who led the league in rushing as a rookie last year. All that talent might encourage Reid to be more aggressive, rather than content to ask little of Mahomes besides taking care of the ball. If Mahomes' inner gunslinger is allowed to emerge, drafting the unproven quarterback will pay off for fantasy owners. Read Past Outlooks

$Signed a four-year, $16.43 million contract with the Chiefs in July of 2017.

Throws three touchdown passes

QBKansas City Chiefs

January 20, 2019

Mahomes completed 16 of 31 pass attempts for 295 yards and three touchdowns Sunday against the Patriots. He also carried two times for 11 yards in the 37-31 AFC Championship Game overtime loss.

ANALYSISMahomes struggled at times, posting a completion rate of just 52 percent as his team went scoreless into halftime. He hit several big plays in the second half, adding touchdown passes to Travis Kelce and Damien Williams (two) as he brought his team all the way back to force overtime. It was an improved performance over Mahomes' playoff debut a week ago, but unfortunately, his outstanding season comes to an end with this defeat. He lit the league up for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns during the regular season, solidifying himself as the top fantasy quarterback heading into the 2019 campaign.

See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.

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Advanced NFL Stats

How do Patrick Mahomes' 2018 advanced stats compare to other quarterbacks?

This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.

Bad Pass %

The percentage of passes that were considered to be poorly thrown.

Avg Target Depth

The average number of yards thrown per pass by the quarterback – including incomplete passes.

Sack Rate

The percentage of dropbacks where the quartback was sacked. The longer the bar below, the more often they are sacked relative to other QBs.

Avg Receiver YAC

The average number of yards after the catch that receivers gained on passes thrown by this quarterback.

Receiver Drop %

The percentage of passes dropped by receivers on passes thrown by this quarterback. The longer the bar, the more sure-handed his receivers have been.

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

Sasha Yodashkin checks out the split Pro Bowl/Super Bowl slate and expects George Kittle to thrive against soft coverage in Orlando.

2017 Fantasy Outlook

The Chiefs traded up 17 spots to 10th overall to draft Mahomes, whose cannon arm, occasional recklessness and gunslinger mentality evoked comparisons on draft day to head coach Andy Reid's former student, Brett Favre. Mahomes, of course, is a long way from Favre, so Reid and the Chiefs view him as a project -- Alex Smith will start for at least another year. At 6-2, 225, with 4.8 speed, Mahomes probably won't be a huge rushing threat but should be fast enough to escape pressure and make occasional plays with his feet. The biggest knock on him is the Texas Tech system, which continually fails to produce quality NFL quarterbacks. But Mahomes has the size, athleticism and physical skills to not only buck the trend but end up as the best quarterback from this year's draft class.

More Fantasy News

Uses his wheels to score

QBKansas City Chiefs

January 12, 2019

Mahomes connected on 27 or 41 passes for 278 yards during Saturday's 31-13 win over the Colts. He added eight yards and a touchdown on three carries.

Mahomes completed 24 of 34 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Chiefs' 29-28 loss to the Chargers on Thursday. He also rushed twice for three yards and fumbled once, but it was recovered by the offense.